China will raise the retail prices of gasoline and diesel from Friday, the country's top economic planner said on Thursday.   

The Russia-Ukraine conflict continues on Thursday as relevant parties are working to broker a peaceful solution.

* China should take more effective COVID-19 measures and minimise the impact of the epidemic on economic and social development, state television quoted on Thursday President Xi Jinping as saying.

* Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio will hold a summit meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in India this weekend, an Indian foreign ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.

* US President Joe Biden will hold a call on Friday with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and will discuss managing competition between the two countries as well as the Russian-Ukraine crisis, the White House said on Thursday.

* Following a new round of negotiations between Russian and Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that Moscow is prepared to continue high-level trilateral negotiations with Ukraine mediated by Turkey.

* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday asked the United States to "do more" to help Ukraine defend itself against the ongoing military operation by Russia.

* The Indian government has restored all valid five-year e-tourist visas granted to people from over 150 countries and regions as well as regular paper visas to nationals of all countries with immediate effect, two years after a suspension over COVID-19, the state-run broadcaster All India Radio (AIR) reported Thursday.

* Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio said on Thursday he discussed a possible increase in crude oil output with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

* The chief economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Maximo Torero, on Wednesday warned of the possible heavy toll of the Ukraine conflict on world food security.

* The United Arab Emirates is keen to cooperate with Russia on improving global energy security, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said in Moscow on Thursday.

* Australian employment surged in February as the economy recovered surprisingly quickly from an Omicron outbreak, driving unemployment down to lows not seen since 2008 and piling on pressure for an early rise in interest rates.

* New Zealand's gross domestic product (GDP) returned to growth in the final quarter of 2021 as the economy emerged from COVID-19 lockdowns, and economists said the data supported expectations the central bank would raise interest rates further.

* The United Arab Emirates plans to begin talks with Australia about a trade agreement, officials from the two countries said on Thursday, as the oil-rich Gulf nation seeks to bolster its role as a Middle East business hub.

* Figures showing a global rise in COVID-19 cases could herald a much bigger problem as some countries also report a drop in testing rates, the World Health Organization (WHO) said, warning nations to remain vigilant against the virus.

* COVID-19 infections and deaths are declining in most of the Americas, the Pan American Health Organization said, with the exception of the Caribbean and Atlantic Ocean Islands.

* The Republic of Korea recorded a record 621,328 new daily COVID-19 cases and a daily record 429 deaths, authorities said on Thursday, as the country which once took an aggressive anti-pandemic approach is set to end COVID restrictions.

* The United Nations seeks to raise nearly 4.3 billion USD at a pledging event for Yemen, as aid agencies have been forced to cut back or stop vital health assistance after funding dried up - even before global attention turned to the conflict in Ukraine.

Xinhua/Reuters/VNA